The DC Police Union in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Department and DC FOP Lodge 1 are organizing donations for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Matt Mahl, chairman of the DC Police Union, reached out asking for help in making this a success. Steve Faulkner has volunteered to be the point of contact for the Local and will be coordinating with the FOP. If you have any questions he can be contacted via e-mail here. The items needed are as follows:

Food:

Non Perishable Foods/Snacks

Water

Gatorade/Power Aid

Paper towels/Napkins

Military Style MRE's

Clothing for both Men and Women:

Undershirts - All Sizes

Underwear

Socks

Blankets

Pants

Personal Hygiene Products:

Toothpaste

Tooth brushes

Deodorant

Soap

Hand sanitizer

Feminine Hygiene Products

Bug spray

Disposable Wipes

Foot Powder

Other Items:

Contractor grade trash bags

Rubber gloves

Boots

Rubber boots

Work gloves

Flashlights and Batteries

Unfortunately no perishable items will be accepted as there is no refrigeration available in most of the areas.

Thank you and if you have any questions feel free to reach out at any time.

Hurricane Harvey has wrecked havoc on Houston Texas and surrounding areas as torrential rains and devastating winds made landfall last Friday night. Although the storm is weakening the aftermath continues to leave many in the affected areas without food, water and shelter as a tremendous rescue/recovery mission takes place. With this many of our members have reached out expressing interest in helping with the relief efforts that are currently underway. To date the department has offered assistance through several channels and continues to monitor the requests through our partners at HSCEMA. Currently our services are not needed to supplement the rescue/relief efforts in place, however, the IAFF has started a disaster relief donation page which benefits our members directly affected by this storm. The recovery from this disaster will be a long and daunting process, if the department is asked to provide support at any point I urge those that are available and willing to provide any assistance possible.

Just
over one week ago, an unfortunate incident took place on the fire ground at 819
F Street N.E. leaving Brother Dane Smothers Jr. in critical condition at
Medstar Washington Hospital Center. The
staff at Medstar has performed three surgeries on Dane to date, with more
scheduled in the coming days. Although
his condition remains critical, the team of Doctor’s and staff responsible for
his care are second to none and are working around the clock to make sure that Dane
has the best care possible.We will
continue to pass on updates as they become available, however, we ask that the
membership continue to respect the family’s request for privacy at this time,
as Dane is not ready to receive visitors. We also ask that you keep both Dane and his
family in your thoughts and prayers.

Dane’s
family is overwhelmed at the amount of support they have received from our
membership and the community. As most of
you are aware, the Scorched Souls MC hosted a fundraiser this past Wednesday at
the Tune Inn. The attendance was
unbelievable and donations poured in throughout the day. As the event concluded, Dane’s family was
presented with a sizable donation on his behalf to assist with his impending
expenses. The members of the DC Fire
Fighters Burn Foundation continue to provide 24-hour support for Dane’s family
and their needs.

The
events that left our brother hospitalized were extremely traumatic for everyone
involved in the response. As a
department, we must ensure that all of our members are taken care of both
physically and emotionally. If anyone is in
need of help through these difficult times, please do not hesitate to reach
out. There are many resources available
to every member of the department and these programs are in place to assist all
of us.

Recently,
the Department published a special order outlining a committee which has been
formed to review the entire incident. Although the review process commenced
prior to the publication of the special order, members can expect to see the
committee make visits to firehouses, conduct interviews with members that were
involved in the response, and correspond with partner agencies that were all involved
in the review process. Updates outlining progress of the committee will be provided
to the membership as they become available. Members of Local 36 have, and will continue to
have, a presence on the committee throughout the entire review process.

As usual our membership has come together to assist a member of our department when they need it most. Dane Smothers Jr. remains in critical condition at the Washington Hospital Center's Intensive Care Unit fighting the biggest battle of his life. Many have asked what can be done to assist Dane and his family through this difficult time? A fundraiser hosted by the Scorched Souls will take place this Wednesday August 9th at the Tune Inn. All proceeds directly benefit the family. The event begins at 8 a.m. and runs until noon, we hope to see you there.

Additionally the family has started a GOFUNDME page in an effort to assist Dane and his family which can be accessed via the following link:

This morning Firefighter Dane Smothers, Jr. underwent a
second surgery for injuries he sustained on the night of August 2nd
while responding to a house fire in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of North East
D.C.Dane still remains in critical
condition at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.Dane’s family remains by his by his side and
continues to ask for your thoughts and prayers but would like to remind
everyone that he is not ready for visitors at this time.The Smothers family would like to thank the entire
medical team at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for their hard work,
professionalism, and compassion while caring for Dane.They would also like to say thanks for all
the members of the District of Columbia Fire Dept. who have delivered meals for
the family.

The DC Firefighers Burn Foundation and officers of Engine 3 continue to provide continious support for the family. For companines interested in assisting with meals for the family please contact Steve Mills via e-mail: steve.mills@dcffburnfoundation.org or by text (443) 336-9777. As more information on Dane's condition is availibe updates will be posted.

The majority of you will
recognize the HEROES posters that have been distributed to the firehouses in
the recent weeks. For the newer members that do not know the history of HEROES
Inc. they are an organization whose mission is to support the families of first
responders killed in the line of duty. Currently
HEROES is providing support to 18
dependents of members of the District of Columbia Fire Department.

“We honor
these fallen HEROES by assisting their spouses and children, beginning within
24 hours of the tragic loss and continuing indefinitely.”

The financial, emotional and educational support service HEROES provides to the families of members killed
in the line of duty are invaluable. Operating at the level at which HEROES performs doesn’t come cheap and
the majority of assistance is funded through chartable donations. I ask all of
you to consider making a donation to HEROES, every penny counts and no donation
is too small. More information about HEROES can be found on their web page
heroes.org or by contacting any of the DCFD coordinators listed below:

The developers for the apartments above the new 1 Engine have reached out with an opportunity for affordable housing units in the new building. The following is from the developer:

"I wanted to make sure that you all knew and could pass on to your teams that leasing for SQ50 has begun. To reiterate, the units at SQ50 are income restricted. The income cap is determined by the number of occupants, but ranges from $45K to $65K. The units are renting for around $1200 for a one-bedroom and $1400 for a two bedroom. Applying for one of these units can be a complicated process, but we’re hoping to make it as straightforward as it can be. I’m attaching the application here. If you could please circulate it, that would be awesome!"

Instructions for applying:

Download and fill out the Application – if you have any questions about the application, please reach out to our team.

Your Application will be reviewed by our Team for completeness and to identify any pre-requisites that will automatically disqualify you.

If for any reason you are disqualified, someone will contact you to let you know.

Once that preliminary review is complete, a member of our team will reach out to you to schedule a Leasing Appointment

At this appointment you will be asked to bring a $35 application fee as well as additional documentation so that your application can be verified and processed. We will run a full credit and criminal background check.

Once formally approved, applicants will have the opportunity to select their apartment from a list of available units and a lease will be drafted. Units will be selected on a first come first serve basis as applicants are approved.

You will be asked to sign the lease and pay your deposit prior to scheduling a move in date.

We will notify you as soon as we can when the unit is going to be ready for you to move in! Please keep in mind that this building is under construction and move in dates are subject to change due to unforeseen events.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority filed a cross-claim against the DC Fire and EMS department asserting members who responded to a deadly January 2015 tunnel outside the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station were responsible for the injuries sustained passengers left stranded in a smoke-filled tunnel just outside the station. Once again WMATA plays the blame game and fails to take responsibility for chronic and systematic problems with rail safety throughout their system. The following press release was issued by the District of Columbia Fighters Association in response to this outlandish claim.

The District of Columbia Fire Fighters Association, Local #36, is hosting our 4th annual Coats for Kids drive this Wednesday December 21, 2016. The attached Flier has all of the information pertaining to the event. We would like to thank everyone that donated this year as well as years past, making this annual event a tremendous success.

I would like to thank everyone that participated in the election as well as the election committee for working tirelessly to ensure a smooth election process. As always I look forward to working with the executive board and representing the membership in the years to come.

This Saturday November 19, 2016 Hell Bender Brewery is sponsoring a fundraiser supporting our annual Coats for Kids initiative. The attached flier has all the pertinent information about the event. We ask everyone to spread the word and pass along the flier to anyone that may be interested in attending.

Members - embedded in the image above is a link to a .pdf file. The file lists a five year review of the struggles, triumphs, and occasional defeats of Local 36 as a labor organization.The cumulative 'wins' amassed by our organization is nothing short of remarkable.

October 24th, 2017 - In Memory of Sgt. John Carter Died in the line of duty while operating at Box #872 on October 24th, 1997. Rest in Peace John, you are not forgotten by your brothers and sisters in Local 36.

Lt. McRae was a 24 year veteran of the department assigned to 6 Engine, No. 4 platoon. He leaves behind his wife Trell, and 5 children. There has been an overwhelming show of support for the family of Lt. McRae. We are asking that anyone who would like to help the family, make donations through the DC Fire & EMS Foundation in the name of Kevin. All donations go directly to his family, to assist with the expenses which occur as they go through this difficult period.

Any check or money orders should be made out to and mailed to the following:

October 9th, 2014 - The International Association of Firefighters has issued a First Place Award in it's annual Media Awards contest to MyFoxDC reporter Paul Wagner, for his coverage of the apparatus debacle plaguing the Department. Local 36 President Ed Smith was interviewed, and quoted throughout the story. Please click on the link above, for more information, as well as a link to the original broadcast of the story.

Washington, DC (February 25, 2014) – A recent arbitration decision in the
long-running collective bargaining process between the International Association
of Firefighters, Local 36 (IAFF Local 36) and the Department of Fire and
Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) sheds light on the considerable “public
safety concerns” and “potential for tremendous disruptions” surrounding the
proposed shift change to a 3/3/3 schedule.

IAFF
Local 36 has been raising these same concerns for the past year. “It’s
unfortunate that it took an arbitration decision to verify the claims we’ve
made all along,” stated Captain Ed Smith, President of IAFF Local 36. “Valuable
time was wasted trying to argue the facts when the Department could have been
addressing the considerable staffing and management challenges that have
plagued it over the past two years.” The full report can be viewed here.